Myths and realities about Canada’s healthcare system

Canadian healthcare, a MESS
https://africancontinentview.blogspot.com/2026/06/canadian-healthcare.html

Really? I invite you to live in Montreal for three months with a chronic disease or health issues that need a regular physician to see how semi privatization works there, you're forced to call 811 to speak to an appointment setter, then that appointment setter puts you on a cue to call you back to set up an appointment at a "super clinic" in a month, if you miss the call you have to repeat the process prolonging the time it takes to see a doctor. However, if you have $500 to throw away you can see a doctor the same or next day. That's how privatization works.

JJ is awesome when he talks about Canadian stuff, but as an American that I am, Medicaid and other forms of care are programs that no longer function as they are meant to and there is a lot of issues with this. To qualify for Medicaid or other forms of care insurance, you must be in a threshold of what the government believes is appropriate. Other wise, all Americans that are of color like myself try to avoid hospitals since the bills are in the ten thousands

I mean, the whole point $60,000 for brain surgery thing in the US is certainly very possible in an alarmingly high number of cases. If someone never had any health insurance at all (because their job doesn’t offer it or they can’t afford the premiums to maintain it), they have insurance but discover the facilities or providers aren’t “in network” (they’re not part of the insurer’s list of negotiated and agreed health care services and personnel). The out of network problem is very real because the system is so opaque and kafkaesque about who is part of it and who isn’t. It’s even so idiosyncratic that you might have a doctor at a clinic who is in network, but the labs aren’t or the operating room isn’t. And you have really no way of controlling for any of those variables and edge cases, especially if you’re unconscious and can’t even make critical and time sensitive medical decisions of your own volition. Insurance programs themselves are often of a flavor called a high deductible health plan (HDHP), where you have to pay entirely out of pocket for everything until youve spent a certain price threshold (the deductible) after which the plan begins to pay for stuff. Anything in network might be a fixed lowered rate or a coinsurance (you pay a percentage share of the remaining cost, like 20-25%, depending on the type of service.) You might have an out of pocket maximum for the year you’ll hit. Mine is $4000, and due to my expensive medication which on the formulary is classified as a “speciality drug” (the most expensive kinds and for which no generics exist or are allowed due to patent protections), I hit my max every year when I have to refill my prescription every 3 months, so the start of the year is always a big slap fee of $4000. And remember, this is *with* insurance. If I didn’t have insurance, I’d be completely screwed! And it’s tied to my job. So I have to hope and pray I’m not laid off or lose my job. We have COBRA yes for if job loss happens to continue coverage, but it amounts often amounts to sweet nothing because you have to pay the employers share of premiums so the price goes up a ton and if you lost your job, you don’t likely have savings or income to keep paying the premiums, so the coverage lapses anyway.

Canada doesn't have free healthcare when they taxed the citizens to death. On average Canadians pay 70% more in taxes then Americans. That not free lol!

This is an anecdotal story, but my brothers and my mom live in the states. My brother has had two babies, the first one they had insurance and still paid $28,000 dollars to have a baby. The second was $22,000 dollars, but second baby mama had slightly better insurance.
I have had three kids, a singleton and a set of twins. I did not have to pay anything for either of my births, or OB care. I lived in the states for a short time, I had insurance, I still prefer the medical system of Canada over the states. Especially now, here in 2025.

THE BEST HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IS THE UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, BUT THE CANADIAN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IS CORRUPTED ! 43,000,000 CANADIANS PAY TAXES BILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND OUR MONEY ARE STOLEN, SO WE MUST NOT PAY ANY TAXES TO THE CORRUPTED CANADIAN GOVERNMENT ! THE AMERICAN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IS THE WORSE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IN THE WORLD ! UNTIL THE THINGS IN CANADA ARE BASED ON ATHEISTIC PRINCIPLES AND THE LAW IS RUN BY PSYCHOPATHS ATHEISTS THE LIFE IN CANADA WILL GO FROM BAD TO WORSE ! THE CORRUPTED CANADIAN GOVERNMENT IS DOING ALL THIS IN THE CANADIAN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM ON PURPOSE TO BRING TO CANADA THE GARBAGE AMARICAN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM BASED ON INSURANCE AND THE INSURANCE PLAY GAME ALL THE TIME PAYS ONLY 80% THE REST 20% PEOPLE MUST PAY FROM THEIR POCKETS ! GARBAGE SHIT SYSTEM !

As an American who had to jump through so many hoops to get diagnosed and scheduled for a necessary brain surgery here in the USA, I am scared to think what it would have been like in Canada for me.

It is indeed a mixed bag. Cancer, hit by a car? Don't lose life savings! Chronic conditions? Take a number.

How do I solve this as a low-income senior with very modest savings? I spend my winters in Vietnam, Nepal, Malaysia and India, where medical/dental is within my budget. 'Universal healthcare' in Canada is thus if not a lie, then at least a gross exaggeration. My friends in Singapore and Switzerland have similar challenges – but it doesn't sound as bad as here. I think that many Canadians have a weird entitlement attitude to medicine as if it is somehow different than any other service in the marketplace (education and housing for example). Worst perhaps is the horrible misuse of emergency wards by people experiencing mental illness and drug addiction. I have spent multiple hours waiting when a good third of the people waiting could use a social worker or psychiatrist more than a physician.

I do not doubt that US medical services can be very expensive, but my experiences with injuries and illnesess in both Seattle and San Diego suggest it is not as extremely as gossip would suggest. Also, I slipped at Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai. I was taken to St. Mary's nextdoor for an x-ray and consultation. Gratis. Canada has an unrealistic high opinion of itself.

What I do not understand is the high moral ground stance taken by Canadian residents. Wouldn't permitting a parallel healthcare system (pay as you go or via completely 'private' insurance payment) allow the wealthy to get boutique service and result in shortening the line for average Joes at public hospitals? To do otherwise to me seems arrogantly and non-compassionately ideological instead of practical.

I have been to another country with 'universal healthcare' – Cuba. Fail.

You have a picture of Trump. Wtaf bye

Front street published a recent report forecasting 90,000 people died in 2024 on medical wait lists. The number is a forecast because believe it or not, we don't track all those dead people. Canada is 20 or last on a list of 20 socialized countries, we wait longer for radiology then war torn Ukraine or Nicouragua. In other words it's the worst in the world.

Dumb bias videos. I’ve lived most of my life in Canada…move to the US. Fortunate enough to have amazing coverage and making a good living. I can tell you…the system in the US is horrible. Come live in the US for a bit and FEEL for yourself. Your complaints about the Canadian system is nothing close to the shit you deal with here.

The problem with American Healthcare is the rise of cost you see that has become insane and is getting worse. In many hopsitals it cost more for the Bed you recover in then the actual surgery. My dad had a tumor removed was only in the hospital for 5 days, surgery on the first day and 4 days recovery until safe to send home. We get the bill that breaks down what every cost even what they are charging the insurance company. The surgery itself, all the medicines and test before and after were around 30k. The 5 nights in a bed however was around 180K. Cost more to sleep in a bed at a hospial for 4 nights then at some of th ebest hotels in the world would for a month. Look at MRI's you can get imaging done at a imaging center for around $400 a fraction what hospitals charge at 10-12K. Wont even go into pharma because we all know how bad that is.

Healthcare so good, it's mandatory.

If the Health insurance underwritten by the Government was a private company, it would go out of business.

It would be great to opt out of it, and take my chances with strictly private insurance.